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The American Cancer Society most recent estimates for ovarian
cancer in the United States are for 2009:
- about 21,550 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed
- about 14,600 deaths
Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer among women,
excluding non-melanoma skin cancers. It ranks fifth in cancer deaths
among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the
female reproductive system. Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of all
cancers in women. A woman's risk of getting invasive ovarian cancer
during her lifetime is about 1 in 71. Her lifetime chance of dying from
invasive ovarian cancer is about 1 in 95. (These statistics do not
count low malignant potential ovarian tumors.)
This cancer mainly develops in older women. Around half of
women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer are 60 or older. It is more
common in white women that African-American women.
The ovarian cancer incidence rate has been slowly falling over
the past 20 years. The incidence rate is a precise way for scientists
to describe how common or rare a disease is and is defined as the
number of new cases diagnosed each year per 100,000 women.
About 3 in 4 women with ovarian cancer survive at least 1 year
after diagnosis. Almost half (46%) of women with ovarian cancer are
still alive at least 5 years after diagnosis (this is called the 5-year survival rate).
Women younger than 65 do better and live longer than older women. If
ovarian cancer is found (and treated) before the cancer has spread
outside the ovary, the 5-year survival rate is 93%. However, less than
20% of all ovarian cancer is found at this early stage.
Last Medical Review: 08/27/2009
Last Revised: 08/27/2009
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